How one hacker built a smartwatch out of a Nokia 1100

A couple of resistors, an Arduino microcontroller board, a Bluetooth module, a few lines of code, and a Nokia 1100 screen and vibrating motor were all that a hacker needed to build a smartwatch.

The Nokia 1100 may be outdated, but Daniel Davis found a way to put it into use again. What’s surprising about his invention wasn’t really the discovery of a Nokia 1100 in 2016, though there’s that as well. It’s the fact that his idea of a smartwatch needed only the phone’s small screen and motor to run.

In a three-part video posted on YouTube, Davis demonstrated how to create the wearable using an Arduino board coupled with resistors to get the Nokia 1100 screen running. Then, he used a Bluetooth module to connect the smartwatch to a Samsung smartphone and code to push text/call notifications and date and time to the contraption.

Davis squeezed all those components into a 3D printed case powered by a rechargeable 3.7-volt battery. And he admitted it was a bit of a challenge. If he should ever do it again, he says he might prefer a thinner battery and a complete circuit board to build a much thinner, less clunky smartwatch.

Perhaps an Indiegogo or Kickstarter campaign is a good idea to fund that? What do you think of Davis’s invention? Share your thoughts down in the comments!